The Apprentice
by TheDarkSaint777
Summary: Basically, my own story about how Atlantis came to be an empire below the ocean, mildly based upon Eragon type themes. PLEASE READ!
1. Prologue: In a single day and night

*"In a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea."*

-Plato

The ground shook beneath my feet as the battle raged on. Pain coursed through my arm, but I didn't care. The end had come, and there was nothing left for me to live for.

"He was right," I thought to myself as I felt another tremble, this time greater than the first. The slaughter continued on as trees fell, and the ground shook. The sky turned a deep blood red, and my cracked lips burned in the fiery air. I looked around myself, at my friends and enemies, and lastly at my brother who stood beside me, keeping a tight grip on my right hand. They didn't know the end was here; they were oblivious.

I looked up as the final seal of death rose above the mountains to the east. The waves flew in the air, a beautiful painting of blue and green against the scarlet-red sky, casting purple shadows down upon the valley. I tightened my grip on my brother's hand as everyone stopped, and as one by one they noticed their death approaching.

Mountains of fire erupted and sent fiery rain down upon us. No one moved; we just stood there, looking upon our decided fate. I knew there was no point in trying to survive. Water to the east, and fire the west. It was either burn or drown; we would all die either way.

My body went numb, and my mind felt at ease. I knew my end had come, and I welcomed it. I knew the earth was better off without me. Better off, with one less murderer in the world. Better off, without Atlantis.

I clasped my hand around the pendant on my neck as a solitary tear slid down my cheek. Atlantis then looked death in the eye, and surrendered itself to its darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The icy night air was silent; the only noise to be heard was the frequent exhaling and inhaling of a shadow, hidden in the dark. A man was crouched in the trees upper branches, concealed by their thick foliage. His piercing eyes; one silver, one black; darted back and forth, scanning the thin dirt path below. He had been waiting there for the past seven hours, and was growing impatient.

"Come along sister," he mumbled quietly to himself. His irritation was clearly displayed on his face, and his legs ached of sitting in the same crouched position for so long. He longed to stretch them, and calm his shaking limbs, but didn't dare move, for his prey could be anywhere and could come by at any time. His exposure would mean failure.

As the minutes ticked by, his patience continued to grow thin, and his eyelids began to weigh down. He was less alert now, and his tiredness worried him. If he did not catch his prey tonight, his master wouldn't ever forgive him, just as he never did. The man forced his eyes to stay open, and reached out with his feelings once again to see if he could sense the girl's presence.

Nothing.

The man's irritation climaxed, and once again he reached out into the dark woods with his feelings, extending his borders. The woods felt the same as before, except for the quiet, distant beat of a heart, her heart. The man's lips curled into a tight grin; the chase was on.

Leah had been running for four days and four nights now, this night being the fourth. She was running from Avoca, the capital of Atlantis. She had had an uninterrupted journey so far, and the silent woods were a welcome change from the busy villages and cities she had effortlessly dodged through.

These were the woods of Harvak, a soundless forest in the mountains where no creature lived, and barely anyone dared to cross through. Not a single cricket had chirped during its cold nights, and not a single bird had sung a song there. Even the stars refused to shine above the wood, and only the light of the moon could cast shadows down upon its forbidden ground.

Leah jumped across a small log, tightening her grasp on the straps of her pack. She wore a dark black body suit, which clung to her body, black leather boots that reached up to mid thigh, and a deep blue cape with a hood, which she kept up, concealing her face as best as possible. Her dark raven black hair was in a long braid, and held back in the hood. She wore a belt at her hips, adorned with a beautiful assortment of daggers, her beloved collection. She also had a bow and arrows across her back, but she hoped she wouldn't have to use them. Lastly was her most prized weapon; two sword from the same blade, that were crossed behind the bow and arrows on her back.

The sweat on Leah's forehead glistened like tiny diamonds, and Leah's legs ached from carrying her across the hard terrain; her breaths came quick, and ragged. Leah's dark eyes scanned the trees looking for a safe place to sleep for the night; this would be the first time she had rested since her journey had commenced. When she reached a fallen tree, she stopped. The lower half of the tree was still standing, while the upper half fell to the ground, creating an "A" frame; the dead leaves formed a small canopy.

_At least if it rains I will stay dry,_ Leah thought to herself. _In fact, I wouldn't mind if it rained at all. _She put down her bow, arrows, swords, and pack, keeping her blades on her hips. _I'm going to need water soon,_ she thought as she shook her nearly empty water sac. Leah's throat burned with thirst at the sound of the few water droplets, and she then realized for the first time how thirsty she really was. Leah unscrewed the top, and took one careful, small sip. The cool water ran down her burning throat, not quite satisfying the thirst, but helping to calm the fire. She twisted the lid back on, and stuffed it back into her pack, pulling out a small loaf of bread. Leah pulled the cloth off of it, and tore off a small piece, chewing slowly, savoring the taste. She then gently wrapped the loaf back up in its cloth and placed it back in the sac.

Leah lay down on the hard ground, wrapping her cape tightly around her, and laid her head on the sac. She instinctively kept one hand on her hip, close to her daggers. She felt sleep pull on her consciousness, and she welcomed the peaceful darkness.

As the silence wrapped around her, a shadow crept close, planting its piercing, luminous, eyes on her peaceful face.

The man jumped from a trees high branch, landing soundlessly beside the sleeping girl. A sinister grin formed on his lips, and he breathed deeply. He knelt beside the girl, pushing back her dark blue hood, revealing a dark red scar that stretched across her left eye. He looked at her closed eyes, her peaceful expression, and his grin widened.

_ Hello sister,_ he thought. The man reached out with one of his hands, and pulled off its black glove, revealing a cold, pale skinned hand. He laid his hand on her warm forehead, and began muttering a spell into the silent night. "Methra otro von litves, methra otro…"

As he continued the incantation, a bright blue glow formed on the girl's forehead and then hands, running beneath her sleeves. The same glow formed on his own face and hands, while he continued the mutter the ancient words: Methra otro von litves…

Leah was running through the woods, her breath quick and heavy. The great trees of Havoc burned around her as she ran, falling and crashing, blocking her every direction. Leah stopped as a flaming tree fell just inches in front of her. Ash filled the dense air, and she coughed into her arm. Leah turned and began running again, blinking her tear-filled eyes.

A deep laugh could be heard echoing throughout the woods, all around her. Leah stopped dead as fear gripped at her soul. She quickly spun around, scanning the burning woods with her wide frightened eyes.

The laugh could be heard again, louder and closer this time, and was followed by a smooth mocking voice. "Why my dear girl," the voice mused. "Why do you run? You know I always know where you are."

"Show yourself!" Leah screamed back into the woods. Leah quickly spun to her right as she heard the laughter again, this time from the trees. A man clad in black slowly walked forward, chuckling as he closed the too small gap between himself and Leah. His left eye glowed a bright blue, while the right remained a cold black…blind. Leah's eyes widened in shock and recognition: "Brother?"

The man laughed again, and spoke in a cool, taunting voice; "Dear sweet Leathadril, did you really think you could hide from him? From _me_?" Leah's erratic breaths came out short and quick; the smoke in the air burned her throat and lungs.

Leah spun around and frantically sprinted through the trees, frequently glancing quickly over her shoulder. The man continued to slowly walk, but kept an even pace behind Leah, close enough to touch her.

Leah tore through the trees, and skidded to a stop at a dark pool. She looked down upon the black water and saw her reflection mirrored upon its smooth, dark surface. Her scared eye remained ghostly silver while the other glowed a luminescent blue. Bright blue tattoos formed around her body, glowing in the water. Her reflection smiled back at her, and her brother's own reflection materialized in the water, holding her own reflections hand. Bright blue tattoos glowed on his own body as well, and together they formed an all too familiar shape. "He's coming Leathadril; you cannot hide. You know he…"

"NO!" Leah screamed, ripping herself out of her sleep. Sweat poured down her face as she whipped her head around; her dark hair flying and the loose strands sticking to her sweat-drenched face; searching the woods for the dark figure, but did not see him. She was scared. And she was alone.

The man smiled as he saw the girl fling her head around, searching for him.

"My message has been delivered," he quietly said to himself. He stood in the tree, and began to jump from branch to branch, finding his way back home.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Caro walked silently through the trees, avoiding the moons light. His shadow trailed behind, hinting that he was headed north. He knew these woods, but it never hurts to have a few guides.

Caro had been hunting for the past three days, and had caught nothing. Though this did not surprise him; two of the three days had been spent traveling through Harvak, trying to reach the populated areas around its outskirts. But it seemed that there was less wildlife than before. Only less than a month ago, there had been a great number of dear and an abundance of birds and rabbits. But this time he had caught nothing, found nothing. It seemed as if Harvak was expanding its borders, and this worried him.

Caro whistled, a high, clear sound, almost delicate, which echoed through the trees. He waited a few moments, and then could see a shadow on the ground, circling around him. He looked up into the clear sky and saw a silver winged hawk, flying low above him. It circled down and lowered itself onto Caro's raised arm.

Caro smiled at the hawk, stroking its head. "Fengolfin," he murmured in recognition to the hawk. Its eyes shone like diamonds, and its black and silver feathers glistened in the light of the moon. It looked Caro in the face, blinking its deep, knowing eyes twice. Just having Fengolfin near made Caro smile; though Fengolfin couldn't speak, he had stuck with Caro for many years, and seemed at times to be the only one Caro could talk to.

"NO!" The scream pierced the air, filling Caro's mind, and resounding throughout Harvak. The scream was quick, and short, but frightening none the less. The terror had been evident in the scream, and a chill ran down Caro's spine as the air fell to silence again.

"What was that?" Caro muttered quietly, half to Fengolfin, half to himself. A small increment of fright crawled its way into his senses, pushing him to walk faster. He pushed the hawk off his arm, picking up a brisk jog.

Caro looked up above himself and could see Fengolfin flying ahead, leading his way back home. Caro turned quickly as the great hawk did, and began making his way around a large oak, only to stop and find himself staring into two; one silver, one black; deadly eyes.

Leah ran through the woods, her mind in a panic, and her body consumed by fear. She had only one thought on her mind; _He found me._ Every time the thought ran through her mind, her feet ran faster, and her hands grip on the hilt of her dagger would tighten.

_He couldn't have,_ Leah thought._ He just couldn't! It's not possible! _She continued running and turned quickly around a tree, stopping when she saw the shadow of a person running past. The shadow turned to the right, right towards her, and she spun around a great tree, attempting to block his path.

Her grip on her dagger's hilt tightened, and a grin formed on her face. _He mustn't make it back to Avoca!_ Leah turned around the tree, and stopped, facing her prey. The shadow stared at her in surprise, quickly followed by fear. Leah smiled at the dark form, and lunged at the shadow, tackling its surprised form to the ground, and brought her dagger to its throat.

Caro tumbled to the ground, brought down by a dark, cloaked figure. Caro lay in horror as a dagger came rushing at his throat, and he quickly spun on his side to the left, kicking off the predator at the same time. He stood, and faced the attacker, just in time to see them throw the dagger, at his throat, with deathly precision, and dodge it. The dagger hit the tree with a sickening crack, its blade disappearing into the trees trunk. Caro dodged behind another tree as another dagger flew at his chest.

He quickly scaled the tree, hoping to evade his attacker, but another dagger flew up through the leaves below him, just missing his face. He took his pack, throwing it down at his attacker, hoping to divert its attention. The figure slid to the left, easily avoiding the small pack. Caro jumped down to the shadow, pulling it to the ground, and throwing its head into the light of the moon.

As he threw back the hood his attacker, two silver eyes stared up at him with a mixture of fear, confusion, and anger. The light filled the face of the eyes, and there pinned between Caro and the ground, lay a young silver-eyed girl.

Leah stared up at the boy's face; full of confusion, and surprise.

_Who is this? This isn't him! _She thought quickly. Leah kicked up her legs, wrapping them around the boy's neck, and pulled his head forward, throwing him off her. He quickly rolled onto his feet and ran in the opposite direction towards another tree. Leah stood and sprinted after him, but stopped as he kicked off the trees trunk, flipping in the air, and grabbed her by the arms as he fell to the ground. Leah struggled against his firm hold, but he held her in a firm head-lock. The last thing Leah felt was a sharp pain in the side of her head; her vision blurred and all turned black just as she saw a silver winged hawk circling above.


End file.
